


if the stars align (then for us they were meant)

by jynladyofstardust



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Meeting the Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 17:34:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21912205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jynladyofstardust/pseuds/jynladyofstardust
Summary: Bucky Barnes is blessed with the power of foresight, able to see the future with the help of his deck of cards and a weather eye to the stars. But even he doesn’t need that power to know what will happen when he brings Steve home to meet his very overprotective mother.Steve Rogers expects meetings Bucky family and coven will be stressful, especially meeting them over Christmas. He’s determined to make a good impression, only for reasons he can’t figure out, Bucky’s mom is less than welcoming to her son’s boyfriend.But Steve isn’t one to back down from a challenge.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 20
Kudos: 142
Collections: Marvel Reverse Big Bang 2019





	1. Bucky

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alittlewicked](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlewicked/gifts).



> Welcome to my fic for the 2019 Marvel Reverse Big Bang! 
> 
> The song title is from [Nocturne by Blanco White](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB8BA1EZeDg), a song I highly recommend to everyone.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky gets a phone call and asks Steve a question.

_Finals are a bitch_ , Bucky thought to himself as he yawned and rubbed at his eyes. He was going on hour four of pouring over various textbooks and notes, trying to cram as much into his brain before his history final day after tomorrow. Which happened to be his worst subject. 

Ask him about the future, he’d be able to tell you with a certain amount of confidence, after consulting the sky and his trusty deck of cards, what to expect. But the past held no interest for him. Hence his cramming in the library. Curse the core curriculum requirements. 

Shaking his head to focus himself, he turned the page, trying his hardest to make the dry history more interesting to him, when his phone buzzed. 

Smiling to himself, thinking it was his boyfriend, he frowned when he saw it was Natasha, texting him with a demand to call him asap.

Unless he’d missed something, he knew there was nothing horrible going on. But it was rare for Natasha to text him with a message like that. So he gathered up his things, deciding Natasha calling was a sign he was done for the day and should probably head home. As soon as he stepped outside into the cold December air he braced himself for a second before pulling his phone out of his pocket and pulling up her number.

She answered on the first ring, telling him his instinct was correct, she was waiting for him to call.

“James.”

“Natalia,” he replied, using the Russian form of her name. It was a joke between the two, going back to their childhood.

“How’s school?”

Bucky raised an eyebrow. It _really_ wasn’t like her to call him in the middle of the day, when she knew he had to study, to make small talk. “Fine?”

“Finals are soon, right? You all set for them?”

“...Yes?” Where was she going with this?

“How’s Steve?”

“Steve’s fine, he’s in class right now. Natasha, I know you didn’t call to ask me about my boyfriend.”

“In a way, I did. The holiday break is coming up soon, and Mom’s expecting you to come home this year.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know. She’s made it perfectly clear I’m not allowed to stay in New York for Christmas. Don’t worry, I’ve already booked a ticket.”

“Just one?”

“Yes? Why?”

“Ask Steve what his plans are for the break.”

He froze. She wasn’t implying what he thought she was, was she? “Natasha, what did you _see_?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all. I just know how you can get sometimes. Make sure that boy of yours isn’t going to be alone for the holidays, okay?”

“Natasha.”

“Don’t Natasha me. You know how my sight works. Just ask him, tonight, okay?”

“If you’re suggesting I bring him home for the holidays, you know how Mom feels about that.”

“I’ll deal with Mom, don’t worry about that. Just focus on passing your classes.”

“Just gotta get through this history final,” he sighed. “That’s my only problem class this semester.”

“You engineering types,” she laughed. “You’re taking how many math and science classes, and it’s the _history_ class you struggle with?”

“Yeah, yeah. Look, I gotta go. I’m home and I need a hand free to open my door.”

“I’ll talk to you later. Don’t forget about Steve.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


Shortly after Bucky walked into the apartment he shared with Steve, he got a text informing him Steve would be running late, something about a meeting with a professor.

Texting back a quick ‘okay’, Bucky plopped down on the little, worn out couch in what served as their living room area. Cassandra, his familiar, a little black cat, sauntered up to him trilling in greeting as she rubbed across his legs. 

“Hey, Cassie,” he said as he reached down to give her a little rub down her back. He was glad for her presence, she served to center him when visions of the future started to overwhelm him. Everyone gifted with magic had a familiar, and that familiar served a different function depending on the ability of the person they belonged to. Cassandra helped him to focus his magic, to make heads or tails of the murky glimpses he was gifted.

A caw from the other room caught his attention, and he got up to greet Steve’s familiar, Bran. “Hello there,” he said as he ran a gentle hand down the back of the raven. “Has Cassie been kind to you today? She hasn’t chased you around too much I hope.”

The bird gave another caw before going back to preen his feathers some more. 

“Good,” he smiled, leaving the raven to his business. 

After grabbing his favorite deck of tarot cards, he made his way back in the living room and cleared off the messy coffee table of all the books and papers that had been left lying around by the two of them. Cassandra, seeing what Bucky was getting ready to do, sat dutifully next to him helping him center himself in preparation. With a quick scritch to the back of her ear as a thank you, he quickly shuffled the cards before placing the deck on the table. 

He took a deep breath and did his best to clear his mind, to focus solely on the immediate future and what would happen.

The cards, however, didn’t tell him much. Steve would be spending time with a loved one, which was obvious. Steve would be happy, which relieved Bucky, but besides that the cards remained vague. Either due to his indecisiveness at what he assumed Natasha was hinting at, or because he was too tired from the constant studying to see what the nuances of what the message the cards had for him was saying.

Besides, Steve would be home soon, and he’d have his answers either way, so he decided to distract himself by finding one of the many random cheesy, bad teen rom-coms Netflix seemed to really love making these days.

Halfway through the movie, something about a tall girl and how it was so hard to be a tall person in high school, Steve came home. 

“Buck, hey,” he said, placing his jacket and scarf on the rack by the door and his bag on the floor. 

“Hey. How’d the meeting go?” Bucky asked as he got up to greet his boyfriend with a hug and a quick peck on the lips.

“It was nothing, I just had a question about the final assignment.”

“Isn’t that due soon?”

Steve nodded and yawned. “Yep. Just wanted to make sure I used the right format for citing. Luckily I did so I’m all done.”

“That’s good. Now come watch this movie with me, you look as tired as I feel, so I’m declaring it a school free evening. No book, no notes, no talk of finals. Just relaxing.”

By the look Steve gave him, Bucky knew this was exactly what was needed.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Two movies and several boxes of Chinese takeout later, the pair was curled up on the floor, the couch cushions and pillows serving as a makeshift bed. Bran was perched on the arm of the couch, ever vigilant over his charge, while Cassandra was curled at Bucky’s feet in a doze.

“Hey, Stevie?”

“Yeah?”

“I got a call from Natasha today, reminding me about my plans for the holidays, and she wanted me to ask what your plans are.” The direct approach was always best when it came to Steve, especially for things like this.

“No clue. I was going to spend it with my ma, but she was asked to work over Christmas. One of the other nurses had a family emergency and has to take time off. I’m probably just going to spend it laying around at home or at the studio painting.”

Right as Steve finished talking, Bucky’s phone went off. He glanced at it, seeing another text from Natasha. _Ask him._

He was warring with himself. He would love nothing more than to take Steve home, show off the farm he grew up on, introduce him to the people he considered his family. But, on the other hand, there was his _mother_. 

Another beep. _Do it_.

Curse her and her abilities. 

“So, since you don’t have any plans… what about coming home with me?”

Steve sat up slightly. “Come home with you. To Indiana?”

“That is where I live, after all. I don’t like the idea of you being all alone. It’s not right, not on Christmas.”

“Isn’t it too late to get a plane ticket?”

Right on cue, his phone sounded again, but instead of a text alert, it was informing him of an email. The timing was too perfect to ignore, so he opened the email app to see a message from the airline, informing him of an update to his flight information.

“Heh, looks like Natasha’s already taken care of that,” Bucky said, giving his phone to Steve to look at.

“It’s really scary how she does that,” Steve said, glancing back up at Bucky, eyes a little wide. While they hadn’t met in person, Steve and Natasha had become good friends via texts and the wonders of Facebook. 

“You get used to it,” Bucky shrugged.

“Only because your entire family can do stuff like that. To the rest of us, it’s a little scary. In a good way, of course.”

“So, what do you say, wanna come home with me for the holidays?”

“To the middle of nowhere? Sure, why not.”

“Hey,” Bucky exclaimed, feigning offense. “It’s not the middle of nowhere! That would be Wyoming.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Buck. To me, it’s all the middle of nowhere.”

“Okay, city boy,” he joked, before distracting Steve with a searing kiss, all thoughts of stressful finals and even more stressful holidays forgotten.


	2. Steve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Bucky arrive to Shelbyville, and Steve is introduced to Bucky’s coven.

Throughout the flight, Bucky had been far more tense than Steve was used to. Not even Cassandra’s usually soothing presence was enough to calm him, which made _Steve_ worry. 

As the plane landed on the tarmac, Steve turned to him, unable to take it anymore. “Buck, is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine, don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “How about the fact you’ve been bouncing your leg the entire flight. Or how you keep stroking at the tip of Cassandra’s tail. Things you only do when you’re nervous. So, is everything okay?”

He could see when it dawned on Bucky what Steve was talking about “Oh! No, everything’s fine, as far as I could see and the cards could tell me anyway. But, still, you know.”

Steve nodded, knowing far too well. He’d been nervous when he introduced Bucky to his mother last Christmas, especially since Bucky had been the first person Steve had brought home as his boyfriend. 

“Should I be worried about anything?”

Bucky glanced over for a quick second, before looking back down to where Cassandra slept on his lap. But before he could say anything, the announcement that it was time to deplane was called, and they were too distracted, grabbing their bags and making sure Cassandra and Bran were situated. 

Bran gave a gentle nip to Steve’s ear from where he sat perched on his shoulder, his own way of showing Steve support. Steve smiled and quickly gave the raven a small rub on the side of his head before making his way down the aisle for the exit, happy to finally be out of the cramped plane. 

After a quick wait for their checked bags, they made their way to the exit. 

“Natasha said she’d be meeting us to pick us up, so keep an eye out for her,” Bucky said, already looking around for his adopted sister. 

Finding her didn’t take too long though, she stood out with the flame red hair of hers. But it was the girl next to her that ended up catching Steve’s attention first, along with Bucky’s apparently, with the annoyed groan he let out. 

“Becca,” he sighed. “My baby sister.”

Steve bit his lips to hold in his smile. “She clearly missed you,” he said, nodding at the gaudily decorated sign she held that exclaimed _WELCOME HOME BUCKY BEAR!!!_ in bright neon pink and green letters, surrounded by glitter. 

Becca had caught sight of her brother as well, apparently, because she started jumping up and down, waving the sign excitedly. “BUCKY!!! You’re home!”

“Funny, I didn’t get this reception the last time I came home a few months ago,” Bucky said as he gave his sister a hug. 

“Well, it’s a sister’s duty to welcome her older brother home,” she said with what Steve felt was far too innocent of a smile as Bucky let go of her to greet Natasha. She moved her attention onto Steve, whose nerves spiked slightly again. “Hi. I’m Rebecca, Bucky’s younger and far more fabulous sister, but you can call me Becca, everyone else does. You must be the famous Steve. Bucky’s told me _all_ about you,” she said as she extended her hand in greeting, which Steve took.

“I have to admit, Bucky hasn’t been quite as forthcoming, though I’ve heard some about you from Nat.”

“I’m not surprised. Our Bucky is notoriously private. Truth be told, I had to pry what I’ve heard about out of him,” she laughed.

“Be careful with her,” Bucky said as he made his way to stand next to Steve, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “She may look innocent, but she’s wily.”

“Hey!” Becca said with a small shove to her brother’s shoulder. The pair started to bicker in the way Steve assumed siblings do, but he was distracted by the other person who had come to meet them. 

“Steve, good to finally meet you in person. I was convinced James would find some way to back out last second.”

“Nat,” he greeted her with a hug. “Honestly I was shocked he even asked me at all.”

“He might have had some gentle nudging.”

“Gentle?”

Natasha just smiled and gave a wink. “Come on,” she said, turning to the still quibbling siblings. “We’ve got a drive ahead of us, and I’d like to get home before the sun sets.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’re coming,” Becca said, sticking her tounge out at her brother before smiling sweetly at Steve and making her way toward the exit. Steve looked at Bucky with a raised eyebrow, but he just shook his head and muttered something about _sisters_ before grabbing his bags.

“Is this normal?” Steve asked Natasha, who stayed back to walk with Steve.

“Very. You get used to it after a while. It’s actually rather soothing, like the waves on the beach.”

“I heard that,” Bucky called back.

Steve just smiled and shook his head. The next week was going to be interesting, that was for sure.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Logically, Steve knew Bucky had grown up on a farm. He’d heard more than one story about Bucky tending to the animals, or having to fix up the fences on the property. But knowing and seeing were two different things. 

He rubbed at the crystal around his neck, a nervous habit going back to childhood. It was the first one his ma ever gave him, once they’d figured out he was able to use them to channel his otherwise unstable abilities. Without them, he’d been unable to control the bursts of power, and various items would end up flying around the room whenever Steve lost concentration for even a moment. As he grew older and developed his powers more, channelling them into other forms and using his art to help visualize what he wanted, he grew less dependent on them, but he still liked to use them as a way to center himself.

Bucky, who noticed the action, glanced over with a concerned look on his face. Steve shook his head, not really wanting to say much, not when other people could hear. 

Bucky, thankfully, knew him well enough to understand, so he just gave a small nudge of support. 

“Welcome to the Barnes family ranch,” Becca said as they turned a corner. The house was larger than Steve expected, and very beautiful. Not at all what Steve pictured a farmhouse to be, but rather something that would have looked at home in a gothic novel.

“It’s big,” was all Steve could say, overwhelmed at just how grand the house was.

“It has to be,” Natasha said. “It houses the entire coven.”

Steve turned, wide-eyed, to Bucky. He assumed, when Bucky said they’d be going to spend the holiday with Bucky’s family, it would just be his family, not his entire coven.

_Sorry,_ Bucky mouthed. _I’ll explain later._

Sooner than Steve would have liked, they pulled up to the house. Close up, it looked more like a mansion to his eye. Bran, excited to finally be out of the car and stretch his wings, flew up to the roof, perching on the railing set up there.

The door opened, and a group of people filed out, smiles on their faces.

The first out of the door was an older woman, with dark hair and eyes strikingly similar to both her children. “James! It’s been far too long,” Bucky’s mother said as she enveloped her son in a hug. “We’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too, Mom,” Bucky said as he returned the hug. After he let go, he gestured over to Steve to join them, which he did, doing his best not to let how overwhelmed he felt show. “Mom, I’d like to introduce Steve Rogers. Steve, this is my mom, Winifred.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Barnes,” he said politely, holding his hand out to shake.

She took his hand, but only for a quick second. “Pleasure to meet you,” she said, though her tone implied it very much wasn’t. She seemed almost cold, the warm smile she had for her son vanished the instant she set eyes on Steve.

Steve felt like he’d been measured and found very much wanting, something he’d felt most of his childhood. He did his best to keep the frustration he felt in check, knowing lashing out like he used to would do him no favors here. 

Another, older woman walked up, and it took a second for Steve to place why she looked familiar, but when he did his anger and hurt were all but forgotten. “Peggy!”

“Steven, I had no idea it was you our James was bringing home!” She pulled him in for a hug, one Steve returned gratefully. “Now, let me get a look at you. I see you’ve grown a beard since I last saw you,” she said, hand tugging slightly at the hair on his face.

“The last time you saw me was my high school graduation,” he said, blushing slightly. Beards weren’t usually something he enjoyed, but Bucky liked it, so he kept it. “I had no idea you lived here.” 

“Daniel wanted to move back home, to be closer to his family,” she said. “And I missed living in the countryside, even if it is on the wrong side of the ocean,” she joked. “Tell me, how is your mother?”

“Fine,” Steve reassured. “She’s just busy working and didn’t want me to spend the holiday alone. So I tagged along with that one,” he nodded toward Bucky, who was busy talking to Natasha and a few other people who didn’t look familiar to Steve.

“I’m glad to hear it. You heard about Dr. Erskine, I assume,” she said, smile going a little sad.

“I did. I was sorry to hear he died. My mother and I are eternally grateful for everything he did for me.”

It was through Dr. Erskine that he met Peggy. As a child, Steve had been small and sickly, and nothing anyone, mundane or magical, did seemed to help him long term. It was thanks to a chance encounter his mother had with a visiting doctor who specialized in combining magical and mundane medicine that changed Steve’s future. If it wasn’t for that doctor, Steve wasn’t sure he’d even be alive today.

Peggy was on the team Dr. Erskine worked with, a liaison with the government, though she never got into specifics with Steve what her role was exactly. Through an experimental combination of magic and scientific medical interventions, the various medical issues that had plagued Steve since childhood were able to be taken care of. 

“Steve,” Bucky walked up. “I see you’ve met Aunt Peggy.” 

“We’d met before,” Peggy said. “I’ve known him since he was a child.”

“No kidding,” Bucky said. “Small world.”

“Extremely,” Peggy said with a smile. “I’m going inside, I think your mother needs help finishing up dinner.”

“Okay, Aunt Peggy,” Bucky said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “Steve, come here, I want to introduce you to everyone else.”

Bucky grabbed his hand and pulled Steve over to where the rest of the small group was waiting. “Guys, this is Steve. Be nice to him. Steve, I’d like you to meet the rest of my coven.”

“Hi Steve, I’m Sam. Can’t say I’ve heard much about you from our Bucky-boy here, but I’ve heard plenty from Nat,” a man with a warm smile said, offering his hand in greeting,

“I’m Pietro,” a man with oddly colored hair waved, “and this is my little sister, Wanda.” He gestured to a girl with long reddish-brown hair.

“Excuse you, I’m your _twin_ sister,” she said with a small smack to his shoulder. “And yes, Steve, it’s very nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, my _younger_ twin sister.”

“Anyway,” Wanda said with a roll of her eyes, “What my clearly ill-raised brother means to say is he’s also glad to meet you.”

“Yeah, that too,” Pietro said with a small shrug. Steve just nodded, not quite sure how to respond to the twins’ banter.

“And I’m Clint,” the man standing next to Natasha waved. “I’m not technically a part of the coven, since I lack any _magical_ talents. I’m Natasha’s boyfriend.”

“Oh! Nat’s mentioned you,” Steve said in recognition of the name. “It’s nice to finally have a face to put to the stories.”

“All good, I hope,” Clint said with a glance over at Natasha.

“All _truthful_ ,” Natasha replied with a small smirk.

“Okay, okay, we’ve all introduced ourselves, now let’s get inside. No need to try to overwhelm Steve so soon, I’d like him to actually want to stay,” Bucky said. Steve squeezed his hand in silent thank you. He was more than happy to meet the people Bucky considered family, but he was still reeling from both the unexpectedly chilly reception from Bucky’s mother, and from seeing an old friend again.

“Bucky’s right,” Becca chimed in. “Plus he’s had a long flight, I’m sure he’s tired.”

“Hey, what about me? I’ve had a long flight too!” Bucky said.

“Yeah, but I don’t care about you,” Becca said with a sly smile before running into the house.

“You’re lucky Steve’s here, or else I’d get you back for that,” Bucky called, before turning back to Steve with a smile. “Come on, let’s get inside. I don’t know about you, but I could use a long nap.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


The next morning, any hope Steve held that he’d just imagined Mrs. Barnes lukewarm reception vanished with breakfast.

He and Bucky, thankfully sharing a room, rose early, having fallen asleep not long after dinner the night before. 

As they made their way downstairs, he hesitated when he heard movement in the kitchen. Bucky saw it and gave a small smile before grabbing his hand to give a quick squeeze before leading him the rest of the way into the kitchen.

“Hey Ma,” Bucky greeted, giving her a kiss on the side of her head as she prepared what Steve guessed was pancake batter.

“Morning James,” she said with a smile to her son. “Can you grab the pecans for me? I forgot to grab them from the pantry.”

“Sure,” Bucky said easily, walking over to a cabinet on the other side of the question.

“You’re up early,” Mrs. Barnes said to her son. “I expected you to sleep in until noon at the earliest.”

“Yeah, well, Steve and I were up early yesterday, and you know how exhausting flying can be.”

Mrs. Barnes just hummed in reply, nodding her thanks to Bucky as he handed over the requested pecans.

Bucky cleared his throat. “Yeah, plus I wanted to show Steve around today.”

“I’m really excited to see where Bucky grew up,” Steve said, hoping to break the awkward tension that had settled over the kitchen.

“That’s nice,” she said mildly, before turning back to Bucky. “James, if you want that cinnamon maple syrup you like, you’re going to have to make it yourself. I still have bacon to put in the oven and fruit to wash up and cut.”

Steve glanced over at Bucky, not quite sure what to say, given he’d just been brushed off so thoroughly.

“Nah, that’s fine. So, any suggestions.”

“For what, dear?”

“For things to do today. It’s been a while since I’ve been in town, is there anything new I can show off to Steve?”

“Well, I don’t know,” she said with an exasperated sigh. “I’m not sure what Steven likes. You know him better than I do, you’ll figure something out.”

Before Steve could even begin to process the exchange, and before Bucky could say anything else, distraction in the form of Becca came into the kitchen, oblivious to the awkward atmosphere around her.

“Bucky Bear! You’re up before the crack of noon, this is a rare surprise! And Steve, please tell me Bucky didn’t drag you out of bed.”

“Good morning to you, too, Becca-bug.”

“Ugh, please don’t call me that, you know how I hate it.”

“Then don’t call me Bucky Bear,” he said as he poked her on her side. 

“Nope. You’re Bucky Bear.”

“You’re only doing this because Steve’s here.”

She gave Bucky a wide-eyed, innocent look. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Steve, I hope you don’t believe these slanderous things my dear brother is saying about me.”

Steve chuckled. “Is this what it’s like to have siblings?”

“Oh no, this is nothing,” Bucky replied. “You should have seen her when she was younger.”

“Ignore Bucky, Steve. I was an angel, scouts honor.”

“You weren’t in the scouts!”

“So?”

“So?! You can’t swear on something you’ve never been, Becca.”

“Children, that’s quite enough,” Mrs. Barnes interjected, looking at his children with fond exasperation. “Since the two of you have so much energy, I’m going to put you to work if you don’t stop this bickering.”

“Sorry, Ma,” Bucky said.

“Yeah, sorry. But I’ll help anyway,” Becca shrugged. “I’ve got nothing better to do. Bucky, why don’t you go introduce Steve to the animals. I’m sure he’d love to meet them.”

“Animals?” Steve hoped the hesitation didn’t show in his voice, but given the too big smile Becca gave, he was probably less than successful in hiding it.

“This is a farm after all, small though it is. Just stay away from Edna, she doesn’t like people she’s not familiar with, she might try to kick at you.”

“Ignore her,” Bucky suggested. “But that is a good idea. Come on, I’ll show you around the farm.”

With that, Bucky linked Steve’s arm with his, and lead Steve to what he felt would be his doom.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Bran, sensing Steve’s distress, flew down from where he’d spent the night roosting, enjoying the freedom of the outdoors after an entire day cooped up in a cramped plane. He circled the area, ensuring there was no immediate danger, then landed on Steve’s shoulder.

Steve gave the raven a small pet hello, too nervous to actually say anything. In theory, he knew he’d be fine. Should anything go wrong, he could summon a shield to protect him from any physical harm. Not that it helped with the nerves.

It wasn’t that he hated animals. Far from it, Bran had been his companion since he’d been a child, and he’d always loved the raven with everything he had. Even Bucky’s familiar was fine in Steve’s eyes. 

Familiars, he supposed, were different from everyday animals though. And the closest interactions he’d had with them were at the zoo, close enough to see but far enough he didn’t have to interact with them. 

“So… animals? I didn’t know you had any animals.”

Bucky shrugged. “It’s just never come up, I guess. Honestly, it’s not as bad as you think. Ma used to have hired hands around to help out, but after her retirement she decided to take on more responsibility around the farm. Plus there’s Clint, who ended up being a better farmer than anyone expected.”

“Myself included,” Clint said walking out of the barn they were about to enter. “You’re up early.”

“You know what, I’m not _that_ bad of a late sleeper.”

The look both Clint and Steve gave Bucky spoke volumes. Steve obviously couldn’t speak for how he was here on the farm, but there had been more than one morning class Bucky ended up being late for because he’d managed to sleep through his alarm. “Okay, fair. I’ve gotten better about it though, ask Steve.”

Steve nodded in agreement. “It’s true. Used to be, it would be impossible to get him up before nine unless he had to be. But he’s gotten better about getting up with me to go running in the mornings.

“Running. In the mornings. We talking about the same Bucky here?” Clint looked at Bucky like he was examining him. He put a hand to his forehead and said, “you sure he hasn’t been replaced somehow? Did you cast any spells or brew any potions, because that is not the Bucky Barnes I know.”

“Ha-fucking-ha Barton,” Bucky replied as he swatted the hand away from his face. “ _Anyway_ , you done feeding the cows? I was hoping to show Steve around.”

“Ah, yep. You should be good to go in without issue. Just—”

“I know, Edna. We’ll keep our distance. I’d rather not have Steve spend his holiday nursing a broken rib.”

Steve’s eyebrows shot up, as did his nerves. “That happen to anyone before?”

“Just the once,” Clint reassured. “And really, it was my fault. I should have known better. But we’ve gotten to know each other since, so my ribs are safe from further harm.”

“Umm…” was all Steve could say. 

“Good job, Clint. Way to scare him.”

“Sorry! You’ll be fine, I promise. Just listen to Bucky, he’ll keep you safe.”

Steve couldn’t help the fond smile that came to his face. “Yeah, I know he will.”

Bucky ducked down, as if to hide the blush that stained his cheek. Steve couldn’t help himself though, and gave him a small kiss where the red was most prominent. 

“And on that note, I think I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do in there,” Clint joked as he walked toward the house.

“Very funny, Barton,” Bucky called after him. “Please, just ignore Clint. He was dropped on his head as a kid. Possibly multiple times.”

Steve chuckled as Bucky opened the barn door to let them both in. Steve, having only seen barns in movies, was expecting either something super rustic, or an industrial set up. What he saw was something in between. There were six cows, all set up with their own pens, but it was spacious. And when they walked in, the doors were open, though most were still in their pens, eating the food Clint had set out for them.

“So, was it what you were expecting?”

Steve shrugged. “Not exactly? I was expecting more hay, to be honest.”

“Like there isn’t enough,?” He gestured to the floor, which was indeed covered with the stuff.

“Yeah, but, like, stacks of it.”

Bucky chuckled, but not in a mean way, so Steve didn’t take offense. “We keep hay bales in their own separate building, away from the animals.”

Steve nodded, too distracted with watching one of the cows chew. 

“That one’s Rambo.”

“Rambo? Why is she named Rambo?”

“Mostly because Clint had just seen _First Blood_ and thought he was being funny. Little did he know how fitting the name would end up being.”

“Please tell me she hasn’t killed anyone,” Steve asked, half joking.

“Nah, nothing like that. But she likes to break out far too often for her own good. We had to take special measures to keep her inside.” He gestured to the sigils etched on the inside of the barn doors.

Steve whistled. “That’s some impressive work.”

“That’s Becca’s work,” Bucky said, sounding very proud of his younger sister. “It’s her specialty, sigil work. She did this when she was only fifteen.”

“And it’s still holding? That _is_ impressive.”

“Tell her you think so, she never thinks she’s good enough. But don’t tell her I told you to say that.”

Steve glanced over at Bucky, confused by what he meant. 

“Sibling thing,” he said, shrugging. “It’s hard to explain.”

“Right,” Steve said with just a nod of his head. 

Bran, had taken off the second they walked into the barn, flew back to perch on Steve’s shoulder, satisfied that nothing could harm Steve. He nipped at Steve’s ear in an affectionate gesture, which Steve returned with a small stroke down the raven’s back before focusing his attention back on the tour.

“Ok, where to next?”

Before Bucky could open his mouth to offer up a suggestion, Natasha walked through the doors of the barn. “I’d heard through the grapevine I could find the two of you in here. A few of us are headed into town, wanna join?”

Bucky glanced at Steve, who shrugged. “Sounds like fun to me,” he said, hoping it would put him on more even ground. Farms he knew nothing about, but give him a city and he felt right at home, even if it wasn’t Brooklyn.

Natasha smirked as if she knew what Steve was thinking and found it amusing. Which, for all he knew, she just might. She’d never been fully forthcoming about the extent of her abilities.

Bucky gave Steve an incredulous look. “You sure? This ain’t like New York. Don’t expect anything metropolitan.”

Natasha hushed Bucky, amusement sparkling in her eyes. “Don’t scare the poor boy. We’re plenty metropolitan; we just got a Starbucks after all.”

Steve glanced between the two of them, not quite sure if she was joking or not. Bucky just rolled his eyes, but took Steve by the arm, guiding him out of the barn and blissfully away from the animals inside. “Ignore her, it works for me. Come on, let’s go grab something to eat.”

  
  


* * *

  
  


After a quick, and thankfully not nearly as awkward as Steve was bracing himself for, breakfast, he found himself in crammed into a car, squeezed between Bucky and Sam. Up front Natasha was driving while Wanda and Becca shared the passenger seat.

Bran nudged Steve in the cheek in protest of the mistreatment of being forced to be in a cramped car. Steve chuckled and nudged him back. “Hey Buck, where’s Cassandra? I’m surprised she’s not with you.”

“She’s bonding with her kin. She’s missed them I think.” 

Steve nodded. He’d heard familiars in covens tended to bond, but it had never been something he’d seen first-hand given it had always just been him and his ma. Bran had treated her snake familiar, Airmid, with a distant respect as snakes and birds didn’t tend to socialize well.

Steve remembered the long drive from the airport to the farmhouse, but he thought that was just because they were going from Indianapolis. But apparently everything was far away from the farmhouse, or so it seemed to him. It took them nearly an hour to reach what Steve would consider civilization, and even then, there wasn’t exactly a lot.

As they piled out of the car, Steve looked around in mild dismay. They’d claimed they were headed toward a mall to finish up some last minute gift shopping, and Steve supposed it could technically match that description. There were shops and what he supposed passed for a food court, where, as promised, there was a Starbucks.

“I warned you,” was all Bucky said when he caught Steve’s expression. “You want actual city life you gotta drive back to Indianapolis”

“How did you live your whole life like this,” Steve asked as they walked toward the mall. Bran, wanting to avoid being cooped up yet again, had flown off Steve’s shoulder and perched on the car as if to guard it. Steve rolled his eyes at the dramatic bird, and Bran sent a short _caw_ in response.

“I thought the same thing about you when we first met, you know,” Bucky said. “New York was so overwhelming when I first got there.”

“You didn’t seem too bothered by it,” Steve said, surprised. He’d thought Bucky was a native New Yorker until he’d told Steve about his childhood on the farm. 

“I’m also a very good actor when I need to be,” Bucky said.

Steve smiled. “Like when you needed to get that extra day to finish that essay.”

“Exactly! My poor grandmama, she’d just gotten sick so quickly, we couldn’t predict it happening.”

“What happened to Nana now,” Becca asked. “Was it falling and breaking her hip, or coming down with pneumonia?”

“Stroke,” Bucky smirked. “This professor was a bit of a hardass so I had to pull out the big guns.”

“I still can’t believe people buy your bullshit,” Becca said with a laugh. 

“It’s the eyes,” Sam interjected. “If I didn’t know him as well I do, I’d be pulled in by those sad puppy dog eyes too.”

Bucky turned to Sam with an exaggerated pout. “But Sammy, how can you resist a face like this?”

“Easily, you jerk,” he replied with a laugh, pushing him away. “I’m immune at this point.”

“Okay, enough joking around,” Natasha said, suddenly all business. Steve raised an eyebrow and turned to Bucky, who just smiled and shook his head. “Sam, Wanda, we have less than a week before the holiday, and a list of people we need to get things for. I want to be out of here within two hours, understood?”

“Yes ma’am,” they both responded with a crisp salute. 

“Good, now let’s go.”

Steve watched as the three of them marched off, serious expressions on their faces.

“What… what was that?”

“That was Natasha at her finest,” Becca said. “She hates shopping around the holidays, so she has a system. It works so we just go with it.”

“You learn not to question Natasha,” Bucky said sagely. “It’s just easier for everyone. Now, come on, you wanted to see where I grew up, let’s get to it.”

Thankfully they didn’t spend too much time in the mall itself, after giving Steve a small tour, they left and wandered around the downtown area. There were a few quaint shops that caught Steve’s eye, including an art shop that also served as a gallery of sorts for local artists, as well as an antique shop, where Steve found a book detailing local flora and the various uses for them for his mother. She adored gifts like that, and had an ever growing collection.

Not even two hours later Bucky and Becca received texts indicating everyone was done.

“That was quick,” Steve said, impressed. He’d quickly glanced at the list they were holding before they set off, and it hadn’t exactly been short. 

“Nah, that took longer than I expected,” Becca said. “I’m sure Natasha is disappointed in herself.”

“But she gave them two hours, and it hasn’t even been that.”

“Something you need to learn about Natasha she gives herself half the time she says she will,” Bucky said. “I wonder what held her up so long?”

“Probably a gift for Clint,” Becca replied. “The two of them are getting kind of serious, and you know how hard Clint is to shop for on a normal basis.”

“True,” Bucky nodded. 

By the time they got to the car, the others were already waiting for them. Wanda was having a conversation with Bran, who was letting her stroke at his side, surprising Steve.

“Hey, took you long enough,” Natasha said. “We’ve been waiting here forever.”

“Yeah, yeah, that five whole minutes must have been the longest of your life,” Bucky joked. 

“Hey, Bran,” Steve said, walking up to his familiar. “You weren’t being mean to the nice lady, I hope.”

“No, no,” Wanda said with a smile. “He was a complete gentleman, I assure you.”

“Well that’s a surprise, he’s usually very terse with people he doesn’t know.”

“It’s Wanda, everyone ends up loving her once they talk to her. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that was her gift,” Sam said, giving Wanda a small nudge.

“Well, now we both know that’s not true at all,” Wanda said, rolling her eyes. 

“Okay, okay, less flirting and more getting in the car,” Natasha said, already opening the door and getting into the driver’s seat.

“We were not flirting,” they both exclaimed at the same time.

“Keep telling yourselves that,” Becca said as she slid into the seat next to Wanda. “Someday, it’ll even be true.”

Steve smiled and settled next to Bucky, bracing for the long drive back to the farm.


	3. Steve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Mrs. Barnes have a talk and Bucky asks a question.

The rest of the week leading up to Christmas Eve was mostly uneventful. Steve developed a routine of sorts, starting in the mornings where’d he’d get up and go for a run and practice a little with Bran, throwing up protective shields. He was trying to learn to project them outwards, to turn the defensive spell into something that could act as an offensive attack as well. Bran, ever patient, just helped keep Steve centered and provided support when the shield started to waver. 

After, he’d join Bucky and his coven for breakfast. He’d learned the hard way after that first morning not to go into the kitchen until everyone else was in there, to avoid any more awkward exchanges with Mrs. Barnes. Then he’d either join Bucky on whatever needed to be done around the farm that day or he’d sit and talk with Peggy. Then repeat the same with dinner and finally end the night hanging out with Bucky and the others. 

The start of the day proved to be much of the same. He’d helped Bucky and Clint exercise the horses that day, something he’d ended up liking far more than he’d expected. He was just stepping out of the room when he registered the conspicuous lack of laughter and chatting he’d grown accustomed to.

Bran firmly perched on his arm, he made his way downstairs, wondering where everyone had gone, when he found Mrs. Barnes waiting for him.

“Steven, hello. I was hoping to talk with you, one-on-one. Please, sit.”

“Um, okay,” Steve said, taking a seat on the couch she’d gestured at.

They sat in awkward silence for what seemed like forever. He had to resist the urge to start fidgeting in his seat, a nervous habit his mother always chided him for as a kid. Right as he was about to say something, unable to stand it any longer, Mrs. Barnes finally spoke.

“So, how have you enjoyed your stay at the farm so far, Steven?”

Not expecting _that_ , Steve had to take a second before answering. “It’s a lovely place you have. I didn’t know what to expect, but I’ve enjoyed my stay here.”

“Good, I’m glad,” she said, though _glad_ was the last thing he’d call the look on her face. She looked grim, like she had a duty to complete and wanted it done as quickly as possible. “Tell me, how long have you known James for now?”

“Just over two years, I think?”

She nodded, as if she’d already known this. “You’ve seen how driven my son is, then.”

Steve let out a laugh. “Oh yes, he can be very driven when he wants to be. I’m still impressed he’s managing a double major as gracefully as he has so far.”

“He’s always been very invested in his studies, something I’m glad has carried over into university. I was surprised to hear he’d started dating so soon after getting to New York, though.”

She let that statement hang in the silence, making Steve feel even more awkward. “Yes, well. He took me by surprise as well. I hadn’t expected to meet anyone quite like Bucky, though I’m glad I have.”

“Yes, I’m sure. Though, I had hoped when I sent him out there he’d focus more on his education. He might be doing well so far, it only takes one little slip to mess everything up.”

It finally hit Steve what was happening here. “Mrs. Barnes, I assure you I want Bucky to succeed as much as you do. I would never do anything to jeopardize that for him.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t. Not intentionally at least. Tell me, has James ever mentioned his father?”

Steve froze. The topic had come up all of one time, and all Bucky had given was a terse “he’s not around.” Steve dropped the topic after that.

“Not really?”

Mrs. Barnes nodded. “I’m not surprised. It’s not a happy story, especially for James. Rebecca was too young to remember it, thankfully, but it left an impression on him.

“You see, I met James’ and Rebecca’s father when I was in high school. Sure, it started well enough, but after a few years his true colors began to show. By that time we already James and Rebecca was on the way. Fortunately for me I had my friends to help me get away. But I was also at home. James isn’t. He doesn’t have anything like that in New York.

“So, do you understand my issue here, Steven? I don’t want to see my son hurt, especially not when he’s worked so hard to achieve his dreams. I refuse to see my son suffer like I did, I won’t allow it. So, in the best interests of everyone involved, I think it would be best if you… stepped back. Let James focus on his future.”

Steve felt like ice was running down his back. Surely she wasn’t suggesting…. 

“Mrs. Barnes. First, I want to apologize for whatever it is you went through with Bucky’s father, and I’m glad you were able to get away. 

“But I also want to assure you of something. I would _never_ let anything happen to Bucky, nor will I ever hold him back. I love your son, and I want nothing but the best for him, and for some reason, he’s decided he wants to be with me. Now, if someday he decides he no longer sees a future with me in his life, I would step aside. It would hurt, but I would do it. 

“Until that day comes, until _he_ says he wants me gone, I’m staying right where I am.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he said, doing his best to hold his anger and hurt in check, standing up and walking through the kitchen into the back yard, where Bran was dozing and watching the cows wander. Sensing Steve’s hurt and anger, he flew straight for him, looking for the issue.

“It’s okay, Bran, it’s nothing. Just a little discussion with Bucky’s mother. I’ll be fine,” he reassured the raven, who gave a caw and flew off again, knowing Steve didn’t like to be crowded when he felt like this.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat in the grass outside, trying to calm himself down, but he was eventually interrupted by a quiet tread of footsteps.

“Steve,” Peggy said as she gently touched his shoulder. “I heard what happened.”

He shrugged. “She’s worried about Bucky, I understand that.”

“Well, yes,” she nodded as she sat down on the ground next to him. She laughed, catching his concerned glance, “I may be older Steve, but I’m not that old yet.”

Steve huffed a laugh. “Sorry.”

“Anyway. Winnie, she was very hurt by George and what he did. Now, it’s not my place to say what happened, but I was one of the people who helped her get away. It messed her up for a long, long time, and she swore she would never let herself or her kids hurt in that way again. Understandable, given everything, but it turned her into a very, _very_ overprotective mother. 

“I must admit I was a bit surprised when I heard James was bringing you here to meet everyone. He’s never done that before, because he knew how his mother would react. So, for him at least, this thing between the two of you must be very serious.”

Steve nodded. “It is for me as well. I love him Peggy. It scares me a little how much I love him, how well he fit into my life right away, like he was always meant to be there.”

“You know, before he left, he said he knew he was going to meet someone who would change his life forever. He hadn’t been sure of who, or how, but he knew. So James wasn’t going in blind. I’m sure the second he saw you, he realized it was you.”

The thought of that made him smile, and their first meeting _did_ make more sense now. Bucky sat next to him, confident as could be, and introduced himself. He’d thought it was just Bucky’s natural charm and confidence that made him do that, and Bucky had never said anything to the contrary. 

“So just remember what you said to Winnie, and let James make his own choices here, just as you should make yours.”

“I’m not leaving because his mother wants me to,” Steve said without a second’s thought.

“Good. Now, dinner’s going to be ready soon. You don’t want to miss it, we have the best Chinese food in the state, made fresh by No Name Chinese restaurant.”

Steve laughed. “Is that really the name of the restaurant?”

“It is, I assure you. Now come inside before all the egg rolls are taken.”

Steve braced himself to walk into an awkward atmosphere in the house, but the joy of the holiday seemed to erase any potential awkwardness that might have been there.

Mrs. Barnes didn’t speak to him, but she didn’t glare at him or give him any icy stares. She almost looked apologetic, but that also might have been wishful thinking on Steve’s part.

Bucky, on the other hand, either hadn’t heard about the conversation between the two of them, or was doing his best to power through in the way only Bucky could. Cassandra was curled up on Bucky’s lap though, something she only did when he was stressed, so something was bothering him at the very minimum. Steve hoped they’d have a chance to talk about it after dinner, he didn’t want to let this ruin the holiday for Bucky.

Dinner itself was a good as promised, and Steve had multiple servings of some of the most delicious Chinese food he’d ever had in his life, followed up, oddly enough, by a homemade cherry cake.

“Wanda became obsessed with the Great British Baking Show,” Pietro explained as he handed out the slices. “And she loves cherries, so she wanted to try this. It’s become a tradition to have it on Christmas Eve now.”

“It’s delicious Wanda,” Steve said as he took a bite. “You did a fantastic job with it.”

“Thank you,” she said, ducking her head a little and letting her hair cover her face. “It’s nothing really.”

“We keep telling her she needs to open up a bakery,” Natasha said. “But she won’t listen to us.”

“You’re my coven, you’re biased!”

“Well I’m not,” Steve said as he took another bite of the cake. “And I assure you, if this is any indicator of how well you bake, you’d make a lot of money.”

Bucky gave Steve’s hand a gentle squeeze, and when he looked over he had a small smile on his face. Steve gave him a questioning look, but Bucky just shook his head, before giving him another squeeze.

Once dinner was done and everything was cleaned, everyone decided to turn in early. Apparently Christmas was a big deal in the Barnes household, and thus was a full day event. Yet Steve struggled to sleep, finally giving up around six in the morning. He left Bucky in bed next to him, still asleep, with a gentle kiss, then got up to hopefully work through the leftover frustration of yesterday with Bran.

When he got downstairs, he was met by Mrs. Barnes, who was slowly stirring batter in the kitchen. He nodded to her, but wasn’t sure quite what to say, so he kept walking toward the kitchen door.

“Steven, wait, please. I… I’d like to talk to you.”

Steve squared his shoulders, prepared for another confrontation. “If you want to continue the conversation from yesterday, I can assure you my response hasn’t changed.”

“No. No, in fact I… I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have asked you to… to leave my son. It was wrong of me, and not how I should have gone about the situation. I still want what’s best for my son, don’t get me wrong. But after talking with James and Natasha, I see I misjudged you.”

“Bucky talked to you?” That surprised Steve, since Bucky hadn’t said anything.

“He did. It was… a very enlightening conversation. But he assures me you’re nothing like his father, and he can take care of himself. Though if you do hurt my son in any way, I’ll show you how I became the head of his coven, do you understand me?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Good. Now, come help me. You know how to make scrambled eggs?”

“Do you use cream or orange juice in your eggs?”

She smiled what Steve thought had to be the biggest smile he’d ever seen from here, and in that moment he really saw the resemblance between Bucky and her. “Cream, orange juice is just too bizarre.”

Steve smiled back, and went for the fridge to take out the eggs and cream and got started.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Steve was exhausted. Between helping with breakfast while chatting with Winnie, as she insisted Steve call her, and the rather enthusiastic gift exchange the family had, followed by what could only be described as the most epic snowball fight he’d ever been a part of, made even more interesting given half the participants' ability of foresight, then the most lavish turkey dinner he’d ever seen, he was spent.

Bucky though, had another surprise up his sleeve.

“Come on, Steve, this won’t take long,” he said, giving his best puppy dog eyes that he knew Steve could never resist.

Steve groaned but rolled off the bed and got up. “It better not. I’m considering making this bed my permanent residence at this point.”

“Now I know that’s a lie,” Bucky laughed as he looped his arm through Steve’s and led him downstairs. “You’d never leave Brooklyn.”

“I could take the bed with me,” Steve argued. 

“Pretty sure the airline won’t allow that.”

Steve shrugged. “I’ll deal with that when I get to it.”

Bucky stopped them at the bottom of the stairs. “Steve, do me a favor and close your eyes?”

“Ummm… why am I closing my eyes?”

“Trust me.” And, with the way Bucky said it, Steve did. So, for once in his life, rather than arguing and being stubborn, he did as he was asked and closed his eyes, letting Bucky lead him through the house, stopping only to put a jacket on him before leading him outside. 

As tempted as Steve was, he didn’t open his eyes. He trusted Bucky, and he knew he’d never let Steve down.

Thankfully, though, they didn’t go too far before Bucky stopped them. “Okay, you can open your eyes now,” he gently whispered in his ear.

Steve did, and was met with a perfect, snow-covered landscape. Candles were floating in the air, giving light and warmth. It was magical, like something out of a novel. “Bucky?”

Bucky said nothing, but took Steve’s hand and led him into the middle of the circle of candles. “Steve. Before I say anything, I want to tell you I heard you and my mother talking yesterday.” Steve opened his mouth, but was silenced when he saw the look in Bucky’s eyes.

“I wanted to say thank you for standing up to her like that. What you said to her, _how_ you said it, it not only meant the world to me, it left an impression on her. She was why I was so scared to bring you here before now, not because I was embarrassed of you or wasn’t serious enough. I love you Steve, so much, and seeing you here with my coven, my family, it just… I realized how much I want you to be a part of my life for as long as I can have you.”

He took a step back from Steve, and knelt down on one knee onto the blanket Steve hadn’t noticed was there. “Steven Grant Rogers. I knew, from the second I saw you, you were _it_. You were the person I wanted to be with. You were the person I _saw_ in the stars, the one the cards hinted towards. 

“I’m glad I listened to them, I followed the path they lead me down, because it meant I got to have you. And I’m selfish, once I have something good and true, I don’t like to let it go.

“So, Steve, will you marry me?”

As he asked, he pulled a ring box out of his pocket to reveal simple band embedded with a dark blue stone. Without thought, without even realizing he did it, he joined Bucky on the ground and brought him in for a kiss. He kept it simple, not wanting to get too carried away, but poured his all the emotions he didn’t have words for into it. Bucky responded with enthusiasm, as always on the same page as Steve.

Far too soon, he leaned away, and his eyes were blurry with tears as he opened them. “Yes. Yes, I’ll marry you.”

Bucky gave a wet laugh, his eyes shimmering, as he took the ring out of the box and placed it on Steve left ring finger. “Oh thank god it fits,” he said with a relieved sigh as the ring slid on perfectly.

Steve laughed. “What, you weren’t sure?”

“No! You wake up too early and made it impossible to try to get a measurement! I had to ask Natasha to help me!”

Steve laughed, just imagining how that conversation had to have gone. He kissed Bucky again, far more gentle this time, before glancing down at his hand.

“I’m gonna have to call my ma.”

“Tomorrow, she’s still working,” Bucky reminded Steve.

Steve nodded. “Tomorrow.”

Bran and Cassandra, who had apparently been watching in one of the trees, made their presence known at that moment, Cassandra circling Steve while Bran landed on Bucky’s shoulder in a rare show of affection. “Their way of congratulating us,” Bucky smiled as he stroked Bran’s wing.

“Guess so,” Steve replied as he scritched behind Cassandra’s ear.

“We better get back inside. I know everyone’s going to be excited to hear the news.”

“Like everyone already doesn’t know,” Steve laughed as he stood.

“Doesn’t mean it isn’t nice to hear,” Bucky shrugged.

Steve smiled, knowing the truth in that statement, as he let Bucky lead him back into the house.

Unlike Bucky and his coven, Steve couldn’t be sure what the future held for him and for his relationship with Bucky. But he was excited to take this next step with him and find out, confident whatever may come, they’d face it together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're done! First I want to thank my artist [alittlewicked](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlewicked) for creating this wonderful moodboard and giving me the chance to write for it. I had so much fun working on this, and it was an honor to work with them!
> 
> Next, all the thanks and love to my beta [Pineau_noir](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pineau_noir) for helping me with this and catching all my tense and comma mistakes. 
> 
> Lastly, along with her I'd like to thank my friends Jay and Sable. Without them I don't think I would have made it through this process. I owe this fic to you guys.
> 
> So, let me know what you think!
> 
> Have a happy holidays and a wonderful new years!


End file.
